Questions
by hineko
Summary: Souji is growing up fast and he has… questions. Who better to ask than Kondou and Hijikata?
1. Hanamachi

Somewhere in the time suck that is Tumblr, someone (I cannot for the life of me remember who's blog it was… my apologies!) brought up the fact that Hijikata and Kondou would have been responsible for answering all of Souji's embarrassing coming-of-age questions as a child. They both would have been delightfully and hilariously awkward in their responses!

Disclaimer: Hakuouki is not mine.

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**Hanamachi**

Souji looked curiously at the now familiar looking box sitting outside the dojo. Hijikata was passing through again and had obviously left it sitting unattended on the veranda. Smirking to himself, Souji took one last look around to make sure no one was watching before he picked it up discreetly and moved quickly to a hidden part of the yard he often frequented. Settling himself comfortably under the shade of a large tree, he opened the lid and began rummaging through its contents.

"What does Kondou-san see in him?" He quietly mused. After all, that _was_ the reason he was going through Hijikata's things. Perhaps it would shed some light on the biggest mystery in Souji's life currently: why Kondou-san liked Hijikata-san _so much_.

So far his search had been less than illuminating. Mostly the box was filled with packets of that worthless medicine Hijikata was always going on about. He was about to give up when something at the very bottom of the box caught his eye. An attempt had obviously been made to hide it, which naturally perked young Souji's interest. Pulling out the small book, he opened it and began reading.

"'In a rundown shack, lying there it is most cold, I see the spring moon.'" Frowning at the pages in front of him, Souji tried to make sense of the poem. It looked nothing like the poems his sister had made him read. Was it supposed to be a haiku? Granted, he knew nothing about poetry but this seemed… especially bad. Flipping through the pages, he only found more of the same. Nothing at all that explained why Kondou liked the medicine salesman so much. If anything, poetry this bad should have been more points against Hijikata.

Sighing dejectedly, he reached to put the book back when some seemingly loose pages fell to the ground. Picking them up, he noticed immediately that they were different from the paper in the book. They were letters that had been hidden in the last few pages. Unfolding them carefully, Souji began reading.

_Toshizou,_

_I look at you and contemplate this one question: how could I have lived with the absence of you from my life for so long? Before you, I could not give love, but only moments of caring. I never showed my true feelings, I hid behind a façade I was taught to wear. __ But I opened my eyes when I met you, your beauty so resplendent that it captured me and I was enthralled. _

_My heart began to beat again when we made love, the darkness that contained it slowly disappearing. And with every encounter, every look into your violet eyes my heartbeat stronger and faster. Until the black was dispelled and I could breathe again, and the feelings of love filled me. With you my heart finally skipped a beat, or fluttered with excitement; never before did it act this way…_

Apparently Hijikata had a girlfriend. Souji snorted at the thought. He could barely stand being in Hijikata's presence, he couldn't imagine why a girl would willingly do so. His answer became clearer as he continued to read through the letter (which went on and on, praising Hijikata's handsome looks to the point of making Souji nauseous). Near the end of the letter was a plea for Hijikata to return to the hanamachi soon. _Hanamachi?_ Souji was confused. As far as he knew, there were no towns by that name around here. _Maybe Hijikata-san met her during his travels?_

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Kondou's booming voice echo from the dojo, telling the older students that lessons were over for the day. Souji quickly stuffed the letters back into the book of poetry and put them in their original hiding place at the bottom of the medicine box. Not wanting to get caught snooping, he looked carefully around the tree he had been sitting underneath. Seeing that he still had some time before the students exited the dojo, Souji hurried back to the veranda and left the box where he had found it, and just in time too! He had barely had time to appear to be nonchalantly waiting for the lesson to finish before Hijikata himself appeared on the veranda. Said man narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the young boy and began walking towards him.

"Souji, what are you doing out here?" Hijikata asked warily. He knew from past experiences that an 'innocent' looking Souji was a dangerous Souji. For some reason unknown to him, Hijikata always found himself on receiving end of Souji's tricks and insults. Honestly, he had no idea why the child disliked him so; he'd tried very hard in the beginning to be kind to the boy since Kondou was so fond of him. In the end though, his efforts had been for naught as Souji was an expert at making Hijikata lose his temper, usually with only a sentence or two. Honestly, it was uncanny how well the child knew how to push his buttons! He really could think of no other reason for Souji to be sitting so serenely on the veranda other than making him the victim of another of his nefarious jokes. "Don't you have chores to be doing?"

Souji had no trouble directing an annoyed glare in Hijikata's direction. He had briefly thought about maintaining his innocent pretense, but seeing that Hijikata already sounded suspicious would only heighten the man's misgivings. "I finished them a while ago." He replied shortly. As Hijikata continued to look unconvinced, Souji added, "Not that it's any of your business, but I've been waiting for Kondou-san."

Of all the answers Souji could have given, that one was the only response believable enough to make Hijikata rethink his initial suspicions. The boy was constantly following his mentor around, forever asking questions and attempting to wheedle extra lessons from the kendo instructor. Hijikata often wondered which would be worse; having Souji's admiration or his disdain. Either one forced you to be in constant close proximity to the boy, which Hijikata was finding to be increasingly intolerable. He had never been especially patient to begin with. Sighing deeply, as the long suffering often do, he replied, "He should be done in a minute. He was helping one of the visiting students."

Souji made a noncommittal noise indicating that he had heard him before getting up from the veranda and entering the dojo, seemingly unconcerned that Kondou was still finishing up the previous lesson. _Brat…_ Hijikata thought in annoyance before heading to the bath to rinse off after his vigorous training session. Trying to outthink Souji was rarely productive and often left him with only a headache to show for his efforts. _Let Kondou-san deal with him for now. At least he's safe from the kid's tricks!_

Fortunately for Souji, it seemed as though Kondou had finished helping the other student rather quickly which meant he finally had him alone for a time. Maybe he would be able to tell him where this hanamachi was… or what it was. He could ask him after they sparred.

Kondou smiled seeing his youngest pupil enter the dojo. It always amazed him how eager Souji was to practice and learn Tennen Rishin Ryu. Despite all of his chores, the young boy always made time to practice no matter how worn-out he was. Even though Kondou had been teaching all day and was tired himself, if Souji could push himself to practice so late in the day so could he. "Ah, there you are Souji! I thought maybe you weren't coming today."

Souji looked stricken for a moment before he recovered himself. "But why wouldn't I come Kondou-san? You were working with that other student a minute ago and I didn't want to interrupt you."

Chuckling softly, Kondou replied, "I was only joking Souji. Are you ready to learn something new?"

Souji's eyes brightened and he nodded enthusiastically to Kondou's suggestion. Picking a bokken off the wall, he turned his attention to his mentor. Kondou took a few minutes to go over the basics of the kata with his pupil, before allowing Souji to start practicing on his own. It was in the middle of this work out that Souji finally worked up the courage to ask Kondou about the hanamachi. "Kondou-san, you're pretty familiar with this area, right?"

Kondou looked momentarily startled by the unexpected change in conversation, but he quickly recouped. "Hmmm, I'd say so. I've lived here for many years now. Why do you ask?"

Determining it would be best not to mention where he _actually_ found out about this term, Souji made the decision to change a few of the details of his story to keep himself from being scolded. After all, Kondou _did_ like Hijikata and would probably be cross with Souji for going through his belongings without permission. "I heard some of the other students mention how much fun it is to go the hanamachi. Do you know where it is?"

"H-hanamachi?!" Kondou spluttered, stopping his kata in mid-motion.

Souji tilted his head to the side in confusion. Why was Kondou blushing and why did he look so uncomfortable? "Yeah. I hadn't heard of a town by that name before but I thought you might have."

"A town?" Kondou was quickly coming to very welcome conclusion that his young pupil had no idea what the hanamachi actually was. After all, if one took the _literal_ translation of the word to heart, as Souji was apparently doing, it made sense that the boy actually thought there was a flower town nearby. _But how do I explain to him what it actually is?_ Souji was still too young in Kondou's opinion to have _that_ particular conversation. Perhaps he could… not mention a few details. "Well, a hanamachi isn't really a town, more like a neighborhood or district."

"I see. So it's close by?"

"Erm…" Kondou hesitated. Souji was extremely curious and if he found out that Yoshiwara was relatively nearby, he would certainly want to explore which was exactly what Kondou was trying to prevent. "Not really. It's on the other side of Edo." Which could technically be true, considering there were several hanamachi in Edo. There had to be one on the other side of town, which was a distance that would discourage Souji's curiosity.

"Oh." Souji replied, looking a bit crestfallen. "So I guess it would be hard to go there?"

Looking immensely relieved, Kondou nodded emphatically, "Yes, it certainly would."

"But what happens there that makes it so much fun?" Souji asked inquisitively.

"F-fun?" Kondou _really_ did not want to have this conversation. He wasn't a vindictive man, but he was giving serious thought to punishing whichever student had told Souji about the hanamachi. "Well, there are teahouses there which also provide some entertainment like plays and music." That sounded innocent enough, no to mention boring. Souji often complained to Kondou about the numerous tea ceremonies that Gen-san had forced the child to participate in so he was desperately hoping this would end the conversation.

Souji gave up practicing all together at this point. He needed to focus on the conversation, as it was getting rather confusing. "Teahouses? But what does that have to do with flowers?"

"W-well… well, you see Souji…" Kondou stammered while turning an even more impressive shade of red. How could he possibly explain about the 'flowers' that resided in the hanamachi without also explaining _other things_? "The… decorations are flowers. That's how the hanamachi got its name." Kondou prayed to every deity he could think of that Souji would accept this answer.

Frowning, Souji looked skeptically at his mentor. "But I thought teahouses were where you went to spend time with oiran. So a hanamachi is just a bunch of teahouses decorated with flowers? That doesn't sound like fun at all."

"Well perhaps when you're older you'll find them more interesting…" Kondou said weakly, before realizing exactly what Souji had said. It took everything Kondou had to make himself sound stern, "Wait, how do you know about oiran Souji?"

"Everybody knows about oiran Kondou-san." Souji answered matter-of-factly.

Looking at Souji seriously, Kondou placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Souji, there's nothing wrong with visiting the hanamachi. Watching an oiran perform is entertaining and definitely something you should experience when you're older. But men who frequent these establishments often lose more than just their money; they frequently lose themselves as well. There are other ways to have fun that don't involve such a questionable atmosphere. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Souji nodded obediently. If Kondou didn't think it was good idea to visit the hanamachi, then the prospect of ever going to one held no interest to the boy. Smiling up at his mentor, he answered, "Thanks for the lesson Kondou-san, and for answering my question. It's getting late. I should go start helping with dinner." Souji then quickly bowed in respect before replacing his bokken on the wall.

Kondou waited until Souji was out of sight before burying his face in his hands. _I don't think that conversation could have been worse!_ He had not thought that Souji was old enough to know about such things as oiran and hanamachi, but it had already been two years since the boy had arrived at Shieikan dojo. And while he may still think of Souji as a young child, the reality was that the dojo was filled with young men. It was to be expected that an impressionable boy like Souji would pick things up here and there.

He resolved then and there that he would keep a closer eye on Souji. He had to make sure that when Souji _did_ learn about such things, that it came from a reliable and accurate source. Smiling in satisfied way over his decision, Kondou began to leave the dojo himself before a stray thought brought him to an abrupt halt. _How do I tell Mitsu-san?_ Souji's older sister was… formidable. She also expected frequent reports on her brother's well being. Perhaps he could gloss over a few details in his next letter. Calming down significantly, Kondou continued to make his way to the hall for dinner. Maybe Gen-san would make some tea; he needed something to calm his nerves after such a trying afternoon.

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Author's Notes:

1\. Hanamachi, which literally translates to 'flower town', are the oiran districts. Yoshiwara was the main hanamachi in Edo, similar to Shimabara in Kyoto. Oiran were often called flowers, so when Kondou says the hanamachi are decorated with 'flowers', that's what he means XD

2\. If anyone has any ideas about what mischief Souji can get into next, I'm open to suggestions!


	2. Blackmail

Sorry for the delay! I've been out of town for the past few days. Happy holidays to all of those that celebrate! We did Christmas early since I'll be working on the actual day XD

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Hakuouki.

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**Blackmail**

"I still don't see why you needed me to come with you for this chore." Hijikata griped. Somehow, he had gotten roped into helping Souji pick up the tofu for tonight's dinner. According to Gen-san, they were having guests at the dojo which necessitated the extra trip to the tofu vendor. Normally this job fell to Souji, but Gen-san worried that the additional amount was more than the boy could carry on his own, which is how Hijikata found himself walking to the tofu vender with Souji.

Rolling his eyes at Hijikata's complaining, Souji retorted, "It wasn't _my_ idea to have you tagging along! You think I wanted to spend the afternoon with you? Gen-san doesn't realize that I do this by myself all the time." Honestly, it had hurt that Gen-san wouldn't believe that Souji could complete this errand on his own. Kondou had asked _him_ to get the tofu. He most certainly did not need Hijikata's help!

Looking moodily at the tofu buckets in his hands, Hijikata sighed irritably but continued walking next to an equally sullen looking Souji. The brat was right; Hijikata could well imagine the boy making several trips to the tofu stand by himself before accepting help from his rival. Hijikata had honestly been surprised when Souji had only put up a token argument before relenting to Gen-san's suggestion to take Hijikata with him to pick up the tofu. It had been a rare glimpse of the polite, cooperative child that almost everyone besides Hijikata knew.

The two walked in silence for several blocks. The lull in conversation wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but neither was overly friendly. During this time, Hijikata took a few moments to study his younger companion. While he often spent time with Souji, it was rarely alone. Usually Kondou and Gen-san were present, or the other students. From what little Kondou had told him of Souji's past, Hijikata had gathered that so far fate had not been especially kind to the boy. Both of his parents were dead and his relationship with his sisters was a bit strained at best. Souji was also small for his age, which didn't help when the other students teased and bullied him.

He had often wondered why there was so much animosity between himself and Souji. They had only met a few months ago after all. Maybe, when he considered everything he knew, he could understand the boy a little bit better than when they had first met. Souji _adored_ Kondou and perhaps he perceived Hijikata's friendship with his mentor as a threat. Hijikata looked down towards the boy again, this time with a softer look on his face. Maybe he should try being a little more patient with him. Before he could muse any further on this revelation, a soft question from the object of his thoughts reached his ears.

"Ne, Hijikata-san?"

With his newfound resolution firmly in mind, Hijikata smiled at Souji, "Yes?"

Souji looked up at Hijikata and paused, seeming to reconsider what he had been about to ask. "What's wrong with your face?"

Hijikata looked curiously at the boy. He couldn't have heard him correctly. "What do you mean?"

"I've just never seen that expression on your face before. You look like Shuusuke-sensei when he's drank too much sake."

Hijikata counted to ten. _Remember your resolution…_ Only Souji could make him forget a promise made two minutes previously. Taking a deep breath, Hijikata struggled to keep his voice level and friendly. "You're saying I look intoxicated?"

Placing his hand on his chin, Souji made a show of examining Hijikata closely. "Maybe. Your eyes are really narrow and your cheeks are kind of flushed."

Hijikata counted to fifty this time. Right now he couldn't even refute Souji's observations. His eyes _were_ narrowed and his cheeks flushed. Not with drink as Souji apparently assumed, but with mounting ire.

Evidently taking Hijikata's silence as a cue to continue, Souji added, "You're also stomping around very ungracefully. Is this what you do in the hanamachi as well?"

Hijikata stopped in the middle of the street. There was no way Souji had just asked him that question. How did a child even know about such things?

Seeming to realize Hijikata was no longer walking with him, Souji turned around and called out to him as if nothing were amiss. "Hijikata-san? Why are you just standing in the middle of the road? You're in the way, you know. There's a cart coming up that won't be able to get around you." Souji pointed out helpfully.

Shaking his head, Hijikata noticed that he was indeed causing a traffic jam of sorts and quickly started walking to catch up with Souji. Glaring at the boy, he asked tersely, "Why do you think I go the hanamachi anyway?"

Souji's bright green eyes widened, making his face appear even more innocent and childlike. "It's just something I heard." He replied simply, shrugging his shoulders.

Hijikata was not fooled for a moment. Souji was up to something. Kondou and Gen-san might be taken in by that expression but Hijikata was certainly _not_. "When we first met, what did I tell you about being able to tell the difference between stupid rumors and the truth?"

"Wasn't it something about a certain someone who still lives with their sister and doesn't have a proper job?" Souji answered cheekily. Looking towards Hijikata, Souji let a satisfied smirk creep across his face. Hijikata had taken the bait. "But are you saying that you're not extremely popular with all the oiran in Yoshiwara?"

Narrowing his eyes further at the boy, Hijikata admitted he was confused. What was Souji's game here? The first part had most definitely been an insult, but the other had sounded almost like… a compliment? A rather backhanded one to be sure, but a compliment nonetheless. However, that devious smile of his clearly implied otherwise. Even though he knew that he was going to regret this lapse in judgment, he decided to see where this conversation would lead. Generously deciding to ignore the first insult, Hijikata cleared his throat and replied neutrally, "I'll admit I've been to Yoshiwara before. There are many teahouses there where one can enjoy the company of a oiran or two."

Souji nodded in what seemed like agreement, "Kondou-san was telling me about what happens in the teahouses just the other day."

"Kondou-san told you _what_?!" Hijikata exploded. Before he could say anything else though, Souji interrupted him.

"Oh, look. We're here." Ignoring Hijikata's shocked expression, Souji handed his buckets over to the tofu vendor to be filled. When Hijikata didn't hand his over, Souji sighed impatiently, grabbing them from the man's slackened grip and gave them to the merchant. "Come on Hijikata-san, we should head back." Souji prodded his still stunned companion. "You'll catch flies if you leave your mouth open like that much longer. I doubt your oiran would like you very much then."

Quickly snapping out of his daze, Hijikata picked up his two tofu buckets and once again was faced with catching up with Souji's quickly retreating form. "I can't believe Kondou-san would tell you about that. You're just a kid after all."

This time it was Souji's turn to glare at Hijikata. And if looks could kill… well, Kondou would be down a student. "Kondou-san wouldn't lie. I asked him about it and he told me."

Hijikata realized his mistake immediately. One just _did not_ question Kondou's judgment (or Kondou in general) in front of Souji. The boy's knuckles were turning white from his tightened grip on the handle of his tofu buckets and an angry flush was taking over his face. Hijikata attempted to reverse the damage caused by his earlier statement. "Calm down Souji. I just meant that I was surprised he had talked to you about it, not that I thought he had lied to you."

Glancing Hijikata's way in order to assess his sincerity, Souji made a vague sound indicating that he had heard Hijikata's words. Silence once again reined between the two; but unlike before, this one was tense. However, it was Souji who again ended up breaking the silence. "It just bothered me when I heard about it. I didn't understand." He said quietly.

"Didn't understand what?" For the third time since this conversation began, Hijikata was confused by Souji's words.

Smiling in a way that made Hijikata extremely nervous, Souji replied, "I didn't understand why they said you were so popular with the oiran."

Hijikata's eye began to twitch. "And what exactly is so hard to understand about that?" He ground out. He knew he would regret continuing this conversation, but he hadn't been able to help himself from becoming defensive. Souji wouldn't just agree with him without some other purpose in mind.

Looking at Hijikata almost pityingly, Souji answered, "You mean you don't understand either?" Souji shook his head in commiseration. "I'm just saying that I finally understand why you kept your popularity a secret."

"A secret?" Hijikata replied warily.

Souji continued grinning, all the time acting as though he were imparting some sage advice. "Well, it's not really that big of a secret is it? Your rough personality that is." He said, managing to look properly concerned. Since Hijikata appeared shocked into silence, Souji continued, "It must be hard to find girls around town willing to put up with it. That's why you kept your popularity in the hanamachi quiet. And while I know that you like spending time with all those oiran, I can't imagine Kondou-san would approve of you spending so much time and money on women of questionable morals." Souji patted Hijikata's arm consolingly, "How about this, I won't tell Kondou-san about your… _activities_ if you'll buy me some dango."

Hijikata's fingers itched to grab his katana from his hip. _You cannot kill the brat. Kondou-san would be devastated if you killed him. Maybe it could look like an accident… NO! You have to bring him home in one piece._ "Dango? You're blackmailing me because you want dango?" Hijikata asked incredulously. He truly could not believe what he was hearing.

"Blackmailing you?" Souji asked, a shocked expression on his face. "I'm just trying to _help_ you Hijikata-san. Kondou-san made it very clear that he does not approve of visiting the hanamachi as often as you do when we talked the other day. I know you want him to have a good opinion of you so that's why I'm offering my help."

"Your _help?!_" Hijikata practically shouted. "There is no situation where your 'solution' could be called help! Where did you even hear about this anyway?"

"Now, now Hijikata-san, there's no need to yell at me. I understand that you lack popularity outside of the hanamachi and Kondou-san is the only one who likes you, but you really shouldn't take that out on me. As to where I heard about it, I found a book of really bad poetry laying around with some letters in it."

"What do you mean I lack popularity… wait, you read my personal letters?!" Hijikata sputtered.

Souji looked affronted. "I didn't _know_ they were yours until I read them. Did the oiran in the letter write the poetry as well? That would explain it's poor quality."

"I can't believe you went through my poetry book!"

"_You_ wrote that poetry?" Souji asked incredulously. "But the handwriting was so girly looking that I was sure your oiran had written them."

Hijikata had been right. He definitely regretted continuing this conversation. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on and the only way to head it off was to give in. Souji had bested him. Again. His lack of resistance at Gen-san's suggestion of Hijikata accompanying him on this errand was now abundantly clear, although only Souji's convoluted idea of logic could have thought up a plan this ridiculous. Although it almost killed him, he managed to bite out a response. "Fine. I'll buy you the damned dango."

He was gifted with a large smile from Souji, one he most certainly did not appreciate. "I'm glad we could come to an agreement. I'll make sure your reputation with Kondou-san isn't ruined over something silly like too many visits to the hanamachi."

Hijikata rolled his eyes at Souji's words. Looking at their surroundings, rather conveniently, _Too conveniently! _Hijikata thought, there was a cart selling dango to his right. Steering his way through the crowd, he looked impatiently at Souji. "Well? Tell him what you want."

Smiling happily at the dango seller, Souji gave him his order. Hijikata knew he shouldn't be surprised anymore where Souji was concerned, but he had honestly expected a much larger bill considering the amount of trouble the brat had gone through. Eyeing the carefully packed sweets in Souji's hands sulkily, Hijikata paid the merchant and began walking back to the dojo, not really caring at this point if Souji was with him or not.

Kondou was waiting for them on the veranda when they returned. "Toshi, Souji! You're back. I was starting to get worried, you were gone for quite awhile."

Souji immediately rushed forward, placing the tofu buckets absently on the steps. "Kondou-san, we stopped on the way for dango." Souji replied cheerfully. He then reached into his yukata, pulling out one of the packets of sweets. "I got this for you."

Kondou looked surprised, but accepted the dango anyway. "Thank you Souji. I had a craving for some dango today, how did you guess?" The older man asked kindly.

Beaming at his mentor's praise, Souji beckoned him to sit on the steps to share the treats. He had just taken his first bite when Kondou asked curiously, "How did you come by this dango Souji? Treats like this can be expensive."

Souji stopped chewing to throw a warning glare in Hijikata's direction. For his part, Hijikata just rolled his eyes. If it made it so he didn't have to deal with Souji for a while, then he would go along with whatever ridiculous charade Souji wanted him to. Therefore he was surprised when Souji grumbled under his breath, "Hijikata-san might have helped."

Kondou looked pleased by Souji's answer. "Toshi did? That was so kind! Join us, there's plenty to share."

But Hijikata had honestly had enough of Souji and his games for one day. "Thanks Kondou-san, but I'm going to take the tofu to the kitchens. After that, I really need to make a few more rounds selling medicine before dinner tonight. Nobu will start to complain again if I don't."

Smiling good naturedly at him, Kondou replied, "Ah yes, it wouldn't do to upset Sato-san again. Just make sure you're back in time to greet our guests tonight."

"Of course Kondou-san."

Souji watched Hijikata walk towards the kitchens, pleased that he would in fact have some time alone with Kondou. "Ne, Kondou-san? Who's visiting tonight that we needed all the extra food?" Souji asked curiously. He had been so wrapped up in his earlier plans that it hadn't occurred to him to ask who the guests tonight would be.

Laughing somewhat nervously, Kondou answered, "Ah, well… the Matsui family will be joining us for dinner tonight."

Souji frowned. _Kondou-san looks nervous._ "Why?"

Blushing slightly, Kondou answered, "There are some important things about the future we need to discuss with them." Clearing his throat before continuing, "I'll need you to be on your best behavior tonight, especially with Matsui-san's daughter."

Finishing the last dango with a flourish, Souji nodded in agreement. "Of course Kondou-san. What's her name?"

A somewhat dreamy glaze crossed Kondou's face as he replied, "Tsune."

* * *

Author's Notes:

1\. Hopefully Souji wasn't too mean! I rewrote this more times than I'd like to remember…

2\. Also, for the sake of this story I've made Kondou's marriage happen a few years earlier, so please forgive the historical inaccuracy.

3\. I've gotten some brilliant suggestions for future chapters, so thank you for those and please let me know if you think of any others!


	3. Flirting

I do apologize for the long time between chapters. School and real life have made working on this very difficult. Thank goodness for Spring Break!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hakuouki.

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**Flirting**

_Kondou-san is getting married._ Souji liked to think he was observant, so he was disappointed in himself that he hadn't noticed this coming. After all, the same arrangements had been made for his older sister so he was somewhat familiar with the process of a miai. Scowling at the thought of Mitsu's marriage, Souji forced his mind back to his present dilemma. Just who was this… this _Tsune_? The name Matsui rang a bell, but he couldn't place just why it was familiar to him.

Sighing to himself, Souji wished Kondou hadn't asked him to be on his best behavior; otherwise he most certainly would have done something to stop this meeting from happening. Maybe once Kondou got married he wouldn't have any more time to spend with Souji. He'd more than likely move into his own house, which would certainly put a stop to the occasional late night talks between the two. What if he sent Souji away? What if…

"Souji?"

Souji's increasingly depressing thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the shoji door. Rolling his eyes at the person's impatient tone, Souji took a deep breath and attempted to calm his mind before opening the door. "What?"

Hijikata had been irritated that he had been given the task of getting Souji, his defeat from earlier this morning still fresh on his mind. But he understood why he was the logical choice as Gen-san was finishing up the last of the preparations for dinner and Kondou was with Shuusuke greeting the nakogo. Which of course left only him available for this errand even though he was the one person that Souji was _least_ likely to pay any mind to. "It's time to go. Matsuoka-san wants everyone to be waiting at the gate to greet the Matsui family."

Souji nodded before taking a moment to gently close the shoji door behind him. "Who's Matsuoka-san?" He asked quietly.

"The nakogo." Hijikata answered impatiently. "Didn't Kondou-san explain to you how a miai is done?"

Shaking his head, Souji answered, "No, he didn't need to. I've been to one before."

"Well then you know how significant this meeting is so you should be on your best behavior tonight."

Narrowing his eyes at Hijikata, Souji replied, "Kondou-san already said that. Since this is important to Kondou-san, it's also important to me. I don't need a reminder from _you_."

_This. This is why I shouldn't have been assigned this task._ Hijikata attempted to curb his frustration. "Look, Souji, Kondou-san asked this of me as well and I admire him too much to ruin this meeting for him. A man like Kondou-san deserves a wife who is worthy of him."

Souji slowly looked at Hijikata before cautiously agreeing, "Yes, he does." He took a moment to collect his thoughts, "She needs to understand how important Kondou-san's work is to this dojo."

Hijikata nodded emphatically. "That's right. And if she doesn't, I'm sure Shuusuke-sensei wouldn't allow the marriage. Kondou-san is his heir after all." And more importantly, Hijikata knew that he couldn't afford to lose Kondou either. He was the only person who truly understood Hijikata's dream to become a samurai.

Taking a deep breath, Souji came to a decision. Peering speculatively at his rival, "So, we need to make sure she's worthy of Kondou-san." Only for Kondou would Souji even consider such a... partnership.

Even though the thought of teaming up with Souji went against every instinct Hijikata had, _especially_ after this morning's antics, coming together in this way was probably the only common goal they would ever have. And if he was honest with himself, Souji was probably the only other person besides himself who would do whatever it took to ensure Kondou's happiness. "Yes, she needs to be worthy of Kondou-san." Hijikata agreed before staying sternly, "But it needs to be done _discreetly_. Do you understand?"

"Of course I'm able to understand what Hijikata-san is saying, it's only his haiku that are so complicated that they lose all meaning." Souji replied with a smirk.

Grimacing and placing a hand over his forehead, Hijikata thought dejectedly, _Why do I even bother?_

* * *

To his surprise, Souji actually knew one of the dinner guests that evening. Matsui Sayuri was a girl close to his age that he often saw when he was out running errands and as he found out that evening, she was Tsune's younger sister. Initially, Souji had sulked at being seated between Hijikata and Sayuri instead of near Kondou, but he was eventually grateful since the lack of conversation between the three so far had made it possible for him to hear what was being said.

Much to Souji's displeasure, it seemed as though the meeting was going well. The Matsui family was favored by the shogunate, which would make this marriage extremely advantageous to Kondou. And judging by the pleased looks on both of their faces, they would be planning the wedding by the end of the week! What was he supposed to do-

"Ne, Souji-kun?"

Startled out of his thoughts by the soft and slightly shy voice beside him, Souji sent a surprised look in Sayuri's direction. He had been so focused on Kondou's conversation that he had honestly forgotten the girl was there. "Yes?"

"Could you…" Sayuri had meant to ask for Souji to pass the rice, but was flustered by his attention and remained silent, a pink blush staining her cheeks.

Souji frowned as the girl continued to stare at him. _What's wrong with her?_ He began to fidget nervously under her tongue-tied scrutiny, silently willing her to speak, move, _do anything_ other than stare at him.

Sayuri blinked as she noticed his expression shift from attentive to slightly uncomfortable, belatedly realizing that she had been gawking at him like a moon struck ninny. "Could you please pass the rice?" She asked in a rush while smiling brightly, hoping it would distract from her social gaffe.

"Sure." Souji responded, relaxing a little now that she'd stopped staring at him _quite_ so hard. Unfortunately, the smile she was giving him was only slightly less daunting than her stare had been, although he was unsure why this was the case. Shaking off his confusion, he passed her the bowl of rice before returning his attention back to Kondou's meeting across the room.

Dismayed by his wandering attention, Sayuri scrambled to think of some other topic of conversation. "Where have you been lately?" Wincing at the accusatory tone of the question, Sayuri was nevertheless determined to brazen out this so far completely awkward conversation. Souji had… changed since she had last seen him. He had grown a bit taller, and had his eyes always been so green?

Souji's emerald gaze shifted from Kondou back to the girl beside him. As much as he would like to ignore her in favor of listening in to the meeting taking place, Kondou had specifically asked him to be polite to the Matsui family. Usually only relatives were invited to a miai so Souji had been beyond pleased to be included. "Well, Kondou-san has been giving me a lot of extra lessons lately so I haven't had as much free time as I used to." Souji explained.

Delighted to finally have his full attention, Sayuri continued, tilting her head slightly and smiling so that her dimples showed, "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm sure you're learning a lot with an instructor like Kondou-san."

"Kondou-san is an excellent teacher." Souji replied proudly. "I'm grateful for all that he has done for me."

"Say, is that a new yukata?" Sayuri asked, abruptly changing the subject.

Souji looked down at his clothes, which were indeed new, at a loss with the new direction the conversation was taking. Kondou had allowed him to choose the hunter green fabric himself and he had been rather pleased with result. "Yes."

"That color really suits you." Sayuri replied, pleased with the direction of their exchange. "Do you like my kimono?"

_What difference does it make?_ Souji inwardly wondered while politely answering, "Yes." He did have enough experience through his older sisters to know that these kinds of things were important to girls.

Taking this as a good sign, Sayuri began flirting in earnest. "Really?" She asked, bowing her head shyly, a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

Now it was Souji's turn to wonder what to say. He'd spoken to girls before, but he didn't see that he had said anything that would make her blush. "Yes." He repeated, for lack of a better answer.

Sayuri fluttered her eyelashes at him and replied in a low tone that was almost a whisper, "Thank you." She then began twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

_What is happening here? What am I missing?_ Souji wondered desperately, unable to fathom why Sayuri was doing that… _thing_ with her eyes or why it seemed to make him just a bit uncomfortable. Was it getting warm in here, or was it just him? This conversation was quickly spiraling out of control and he had no idea how to fix it.

On the other side of Souji, Hijikata coughed, having failed to contain his amusement from watching the little drama beside him unfold. He was enjoying the unexpected experience of being a witness to Souji's first real encounter with the opposite sex. Oh sure, Souji had charmed other women before in order to get his way, but this was obviously the first time one of them had tried to catch his interest.

And try as she might, Sayuri just wasn't having any luck. It wasn't that she was unsuccessful per se; rather that Souji had no idea what she was after, or what was happening to him as she tried. During the course of the conversation, his expression had changed from polite interest, to uncertainty, to outright fear. All of these were emotions that the normally proud boy would have never willingly displayed.

As for Sayuri, her emotions were plain to see as well. Her pleasure and excitement had slipped to confusion, followed by despair, finally deteriorating into annoyance. _What was wrong with him?_ She thought with exasperation. Perhaps it was a good thing the miai seemed to be over. In fact, her parents were currently standing and making their way to the door. Turning a determined gaze to Souji, she resolved to try one last time.

Souji knew he had done something wrong and he was starting to panic. Kondou had specifically told him to make a favorable impression with the Matsui family and here he had (somehow) angered their youngest daughter. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that his manners were impeccable when they needed to be. So what had gone so terribly wrong? He had agreed to all of her inane questions and complimented her kimono, what else should he have done? Noticing the new determination shining in Sayuri's eyes, Souji instantly recoiled from her scrutiny.

Recognizing the need to put an end to the situation as Sayuri's parents were quickly approaching, Hijikata abruptly stood and offered his hand to her. "Don't bother Sayuri-chan," Hijikata said, helping her to her feet and forestalling whatever she had been about to say. "Souji has no idea what it is you want, or what he's done to annoy you."

"Hijikata-san!"

"Really?" Sayuri asked in astonishment.

Smiling knowingly, Hijikata answered, "Really." Shooting Souji a smug look, he then directed his attention back to Sayuri. "You can try again next time, after we have a little talk."

Sayuri's eyes widened as she realized what he meant, and she ducked her head to hide both her amusement and surprise. Nodding in their direction, she moved to join her parents and sister.

"_Hijikata-san!_" Souji hissed furiously, causing Hijikata to grin and Sayuri to giggle. _I knew I was missing something!_ With that thought, Souji forced himself to stand calmly, albeit stiffly, with Kondou as the Matsui family made their farewells.

Finally, the evening was over. With his head bowed and resentment obvious in his every step, Souji left the courtyard as quickly as possible. He didn't want to have to explain to Kondou why he was so angry when it was obvious that the man was on cloud nine due to the evening's apparent success.

Hijikata was quick to catch up with him though. Matching Souji's quick pace with his longer strides, "Well?" Hijikata asked nonchalantly. "Are you going to ask about it or not?"

"Ask about what?" Souji replied angrily. He yelped in surprise when Hijikata picked him up by his collar and shook him before dropping him on his feet again.

"Stop being so stubborn. Obviously I'm talking about what happened with Sayuri-chan back there." At Souji's continued silence, Hijikata elaborated, "What she wanted and why she made you nervous."

"She did not." Came Souji's mumbled response.

Hijikata grinned. "It would be more of a concern if she didn't than if she did." He could sense the confusion that statement had caused, as well as Souji's growing curiosity. After all, the brat was nothing if not curious, most often to Hijikata's detriment.

After a few minutes of silence, Souji finally gave in. "All right Hijikata-san. What did she want?"

Brushing some invisible lint off his hakama, Hijikata replied casually, "I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you. You said yourself that my words are often too complicated for you to understand."

"Hijikata-san." Souji growled, causing the older man to smirk once again at the boy's expense.

Taking mercy on him, Hijikata sat on the edge of the veranda. "Well then, you better sit down. From what I've seen, we'll need to start at the beginning." Laughing internally at Souji's furious expression, he watched as the boy sulkily sat down next to him.

Sighing deeply, Souji crossed his arms across his chest. As much as it pained him to admit it, he _supposed_ Hijikata had quite a bit of experience with this subject given their conversation earlier that morning. Cutting his eyes impatiently in Hijikata's direction, "So?" He prompted.

Putting his hand on his chin, Hijikata appeared to think it over. "Well, I suppose we could begin with the differences-"

"Differences in what?" Souji interjected.

"Don't interrupt. Now, as I was saying, women are different than men." Hijikata explained matter-of-factly.

Rolling his eyes, Souji retorted, "I know _that_."

Laughing softly, "I said I was going to start at the beginning. Anyway, women are all about softness and curves. All the better to nurture and provide comfort."

_That doesn't sound exactly right._ Souji thought. After all, Sayuri had made distinctly _un_comfortable. He had never felt this way around any other women before, although he supposed he hadn't been around any girls his own age in quite some time. Though why that should matter, he had still no idea. While he had been thinking, Hijikata had continued talking.

"-And they're curved so we know where to put our hands."

_Wait, what?_ Souji's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Why?" He asked, trying to piece together that incongruent sentence with whatever part of Hijikata's explanation he had missed.

Hijikata paused, taking in Souji's shocked expression. "Why what?"

"Why would we need to know where to put our hands, and isn't that terribly rude?" Souji asked in a flustered rush.

Now it was Hijikata's turn to look shocked. _Didn't the brat realize they were talking about sex?_ "Well of course you don't just go putting your hands on just any woman you see-"

"I know that! That was my point. You're the one saying that I should!" Souji's voice had risen to a rather squeaky octave in his distress.

This conversation was not going at all how Hijikata had envisioned. He had pictured going over a few points while getting in a few shots at Souji's expense, not actually explaining the facts of life to the kid. "Look, men are fashioned a certain way for a reason. If you ever manage to find a girl to marry, at some point you're going to have to touch her." Hijikata impatiently explained.

Souji froze, a half-formed response on his lips. "But… but I thought… I thought you were just going to tell me about girls…" Souji cringed, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him. He thought he had never been more uncomfortable in his life before, but he had been sadly mistaken. Since when did he let Hijikata get the best of him like this? He lived in a dojo full of men, so of course he had _heard_ things. But hearing things he only half understood and having it explained directly to him were two entirely different things. _Too much… this is too much!_

Hijikata wondered if Souji was going to pass out from shock. "Hey, calm down. It's really not that complicated. When the time comes, you're going to want to touch her. After that, things come together nicely."

Blushing, Souji asked almost inaudibly, "What things?"

Understanding dawned on Hijikata. "Oh," How had the boy made it past the age of eleven without knowing any of this? Smirking, Hijikata continued, "Men and women are made to fit together easily. She's the saya and you're the katana. Understand?"

Gulping, Souji glanced momentarily downwards. What Hijikata was suggesting seemed impossible. "But, how…"

"How?" Hijikata asked, trying to suppress a snicker. "Things change. You would have found out tonight if Sayuri had managed to make you a little more uncomfortable."

Trying to ignore that alarming bit of information, Souji realized that Hijikata had actually given him a lot to think about. The things Sayuri had done during the miai were starting to make more sense. He would never admit it, but he was grateful for Hijikata's interference for once. Quickly covering up his slight smile, Souji rearranged his features into something that he hoped resembled annoyance. "I have to be up early so I'm going to bed."

"So soon? But there's so much more you should know-"

"I'm sure I'll figure out the rest on my own!" Souji interjected quickly, before Hijikata could say anything else. He needed time to gather his thoughts and regroup. He would _not_ let himself be so caught off guard in front of Hijikata again, even if they were currently somewhat reluctant allies.

"I'm sure you will." Hijikata replied condescendingly.

"And I'm sure I won't have to pay a woman for it when I do!" Souji shot back over his shoulder.

_Why do I even bother?_

* * *

Author's Notes:

1\. As much as I love Souji, he can't always win (even if he _does_ always get the last word)! Current score: Souji- 5,368,736; Hijikata- 1.

2\. A nakogo is the go between or matchmaker during a marriage meeting. One of their jobs is to introduce the families of the potential bride and groom. A miai is similar to an arranged marriage.

3\. I plan on having about 6 chapters of this story in total. Hopefully they won't take as long as this one did!


	4. Explanations

OMG an update, nobody die of shock. One more semester done, 2.5 to go!

This chapter ended up being a little more serious (and longer!) than the others, but I liked it so I left it the way it was.

Disclaimer: Hakuouki is not mine.

* * *

**Explanations**

He was following her again. Tsune had noticed the boy tailing her for the past few weeks, ever since she had visited Kondou during their marriage meeting at the Shieikan Dojo. There didn't seem to be any malice in his actions, only curiosity. But what to do about it? Taking a few minutes to think through her previous conversations with Kondou, she smiled softly to herself as she settled on a plan. There had been something she wanted to discuss with Souji for some time now and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Looking around her, she saw exactly where she needed to go. _Isami said he liked sweets_. It was early spring and kaichin wagashi happened to be one of her favorite treats as well.

Taking the multicolored jellies from the street vendor, Tsune made her way to the river where there were several benches perfectly situated for what she had in mind. Even better was that the area was mostly deserted at this time of day. Settling herself comfortably on one of said benches, she waited until she heard him get closer.

Looking in the direction of the alleyway she had just come from, Tsune called out kindly, "Souji-kun, why don't you join me? I can't eat all these jellies on my own." Her greeting was met with prolonged silence. Just when she was starting to worry that he would refuse to leave his hiding place, a small form peeked around the corner. Patting the seat next to her welcomingly, she waited for him to join her. Warily he sat down, his eyes moving hesitantly between her and the kaichin. Nudging the box of sweets towards him, Tsune smiled encouragingly. "Have some."

"Thank you Matsui-san." Souji said politely, slowly reaching for a jelly shaped like a plum blossom. He had never had jellies before, but he had heard some of the other students in the dojo talk about how delicious they were.

"You're welcome. It's a shame they only make these in the spring." Tsune watched as the boy's eyes widened in delight as the jelly melted in his mouth. "Good, aren't they?"

Souji nodded vigorously in approval. These might be better than dango. He wasted no time in choosing another, this time selecting one shaped like a small white seagull. Taking a moment to study it more closely, he saw that it even had a tiny sesame seed for an eye.

"So, what brings you out here today?" Tsune asked casually.

Souji abruptly stopped his examination of the jelly, once again regarding Tsune cautiously. "I had some free time." He replied vaguely, shrugging his shoulders and popping the seagull into his mouth. Just because she had caught him following her didn't mean he was going make anything else easy for her.

Eyeing the boy critically, although not unkindly, Tsune replied, "You seem to have had a lot of free time lately. You've been following me since shortly after Isami introduced us. What is it that you're trying to find out?"

Souji paled at the thought that perhaps he hadn't been as covert as he had assumed. He had thought that she had only noticed him today, not all of the other times as well. Kondou might not like that he had been following Tsune around town so frequently. "You noticed?" Souji asked calmly while silently panicking. This was all Hijikata's fault. He was _supposed_ to be helping Souji, not off for weeks at time selling that worthless medicine!

Tsune smiled at the nervous looking boy, hoping to put him at ease. "Not at first, but as time went by I started seeing you more often and put two and two together."

"Are you going to tell Kondou-san?" Souji asked worriedly. From what he had seen during his observation of Tsune, it didn't seem likely that she would do such a thing, but he had to be sure. He most certainly didn't want Kondou thinking he was bothering Tsune.

"No." Tsune placed her hand on Souji's shoulder. "But I do want to know why you've been following me. Will you tell me please?" The truth was, Tsune was more than a little curious about his answer. She had been making her own discreet observations of the boy whenever she had gone to visit the Shieikan dojo. He obviously idolized her fiancé; the change that came over him whenever Kondou was around was remarkable. The quiet, sullen boy positively lit up at the slightest praise or attention from his mentor and it was equally obvious that Kondou cared a great deal for the young boy.

Souji eyed the hand on his shoulder guardedly and wondered what he should tell her. Obviously he couldn't tell her the _entire_ truth; he doubted that hearing about the plan he and Hijikata had concocted to determine if she was a worthy bride for Kondou would go over very well. And if Souji was honest with himself, it wasn't even a very well thought out plan; mostly it was just an agreement between the two to look out for Kondou's best interests. The truth was that he really had no idea what Hijikata had been doing to uphold his side of the agreement. Effective communication between the two wasn't exactly a common occurrence and to further complicate matters, Hijikata had been traveling more often than not over the past few weeks.

Finally meeting her gaze, Souji was surprised to see only kindness and a sincere curiosity in her expression. It was then that he also became aware of the movement of Tsune's hand, which had started gently rubbing his shoulder in a reassuring manner. The combination of the sweets, Tsune's gentleness, and the soothing motion of her hand were all causing Souji to feel much more relaxed than he normally would have been in such a situation.

Taking a deep breath, Souji answered hesitantly, "I wanted to find out more about you."

"I see." Tsune smiled indulgently. "And what did you learn about me?"

Souji thought about this for a moment. What _had_ he learned during his observation of Kondou's betrothed? He hadn't really taken the time to gather his observations into a definite conclusion, a mistake on his part to be sure. Put on the spot like he was, he didn't think he would be able to answer Tsune's question no matter how patient she was prepared to be on the matter. However, as he replayed scenes in his mind from the previous weeks, he was startled to find that perhaps he _did_ have an answer after all.

"You're nice." Was what he ended up replying, although it was a definite oversimplification of his thoughts. Souji couldn't think of a single instance in which Tsune had been anything other than kind to whomever she was interacting with. From vendors in the market, to her family, to strangers she met on the street, Tsune was unfailingly caring. This kind of genuine kindness was something Souji had previously only associated with one other person: _Kondou-san_.

Tsune watched the surprised expression flit across Souji's face after his apparent revelation. It saddened her that someone so young would find kindness such a foreign experience. "Well, I only treat people the way I would want to be treated in return." She replied, and after a few moments of companionable silence, Tsune decided to bring up the real reason she had wanted to speak with him. "Ne, Souji-kun, I know that Isami is like an older brother to you. It's obvious that you both care for each other very much."

Souji glared at Tsune suspiciously. _Where is she going with this?_ Depending on what she said next, his previously charitable thoughts towards her could rapidly change.

For her part, Tsune noticed the abrupt return of Souji's wariness and quickly decided to get to the point of the conversation before she lost her chance. "I know that it will take time but I can only hope that you will come to think of me as an older sister to you in the future. Family is very important to both Isami and myself and I know that our family wouldn't be complete without you."

Souji stared at her in shock. That had not been what he had expected her to say at all. "Matsui-san…" He began, before being gently interrupted.

"You may call me Tsune if you like."

Obviously perplexed by the direction of this conversation, he paused a moment before continuing, "Tsune-san, why?"

"Why?" Tsune asked, clearly taken aback by Souji's question. "Well, like I said, family is important. Isami and I plan on starting our own family once we are married and we will both need you to be an older brother to our children. I know it is a lot to ask-"

This time it was Souji who interrupted, "So, you're saying that Kondou-san would need my help after the wedding?"

Tsune frowned slightly. That hadn't been _exactly_ what she meant, but Souji seemed so hopeful and happy about it that she couldn't bring herself to do anything but agree. "Of course he'll need your help."

It was in this moment that Souji completely abandoned his half-formed plans with Hijikata. He had come to a second startling conclusion that day: Tsune was most definitely a worthy bride for Kondou-san. He was so overwhelmed by the multiple revelations he had experienced that he almost didn't notice Tsune stand from the bench and turn to face him.

Tsune could tell that Souji had more than enough to think about for now, but she was pleased with how the discussion had turned out and felt confident that they had a solid foundation to build on their relationship in the future. "I'm sorry to say that I have some more errands to run this afternoon. Souji-kun, why don't you take the kaichin home with you? I've had my fill for the day."

Souji almost pointed out that Tsune had yet to actually eat any of the sweets before he realized that it was her way of gifting them to him. And after all, Kondou had told him to be on his best behavior and it would be _so rude_ to turn down a gift. Souji carefully replaced the lid on the box of jellies before getting up himself. "Thank you Tsune-san."

Pleased that the conversation had gone so well, Tsune smiled over Souji's careful manners before doing something she had wanted to do from the moment he had joined her on the bench. She stepped forward and leaned down slightly, embracing Souji in a gentle hug. "I'm so glad we were able to have this talk Souji-kun. It was so nice getting to know you better."

Souji had immediately stiffened the moment Tsune's arms had wrapped around him. However, as her embrace lingered, Souji gradually found himself relaxing, recognizing the same warmth and affection in Tsune that he associated with Kondou. And while he didn't return the embrace (he had the box of kaichin in his hands after all, it certainly wouldn't do to drop them), he was able to admit, if only to himself, that he actually enjoyed it.

* * *

Later that evening found Souji standing hesitantly outside of Kondou's bedroom door. It was late, but there was still light coming through the paper screens suggesting that Kondou was still awake. Souji had shown up at Kondou's door many times in the past just to talk, the only thing was… this time he was quite nervous about it. Kondou had been spending less and less time with Souji lately, maybe there was a reason besides being busy for his sudden distance. Souji had just worked up his nerve to knock on Kondou's door when it slid open for him, leaving him face to face with a surprised Kondou.

"Ah, Souji! What are you doing up so late? I was just going to get some water before going to bed myself." Kondou said, smiling at his young pupil.

"Well, I just thought we could talk a little. You've been busy lately and I haven't seen you very much besides in practice." Souji replied quietly.

Kondou was somewhat stricken by Souji's words. Had he been ignoring the boy? He hadn't thought so, but he _had_ been busy lately, as Souji had said. He had been teaching multiple classes a day in addition to traveling to Sato-san's dojo and leading classes there as well. And with the wedding coming up in a few short months, perhaps he had not been as attentive to Souji as he usually was. "You're right Souji, I have been rather busy lately and I'm sorry we haven't gotten to see much of each other lately. What a good idea you had to come see me!" Kondou ruffled Souji's hair affectionately before continuing, "How about this, I'll go to the kitchen and bring back a snack and we can catch up. Does that sound alright to you?"

Souji, who had been looking everywhere except at Kondou during this conversation, now shyly met Kondou's gaze. "That sounds good to me Kondou-san."

"Good, good! Why don't you sit down in here and I'll be right back." And after making sure Souji was comfortable in his room, Kondou turned and headed off to the kitchens.

Souji breathed a silent sigh of relief. _Of course_ Kondou hadn't meant to ignore him. It had all been a misunderstanding. Kondou was an important man, of course he was busy. Instead of spending time together the way they had previously, Souji was going to have to get creative and devise other ways for them meet until things died down a little around the dojo.

It wasn't long before Souji heard Kondou padding down the hallway again. Sliding the door open with his foot, Kondou carefully unloaded a tray of snacks on the small table in his room. "I found some onigiri and I made us some tea." Kondou announced proudly.

Smiling, Souji wasted no time accepting one of the onigiri and taking a large bite. It had been awhile since supper and he was rather hungry. The two ate in companionable silence for a few minutes until they had both taken the edge off their hunger. Kondou ended up being the first to speak. "So, I know I haven't been around the dojo as much as usual. Is there anything new going on?"

Souji shook his head, "Just Shuusuke-sensei getting ready for the wedding. He wants all this stuff around the dojo fixed up before the ceremony." Souji answered around a mouthful of onigiri.

"Ah, yes." Kondou chuckled. "I thought something was different when I got back today. The roof has a few less holes in it than when I left! But what have you been up to lately Souji?"

Souji froze and briefly looked in Kondou's direction. He supposed now was as a good a time as any to tell Kondou about his day with Tsune. "Well, I spent the morning with Tsune-san. We shared some kiachin wagashi down by the river."

"Oh how nice- wait a minute." Kondou replied incredulously. "You spent the morning with Tsune? How exactly did that happen?"

"I saw her while I was running errands earlier today." Souji answered simply.

"I see. And what did you think of her?" As far as Kondou knew, besides the marriage meeting, Souji and Tsune hadn't had any other interactions. Hijikata had actually been worried that Souji might be jealous of Tsune and while Kondou didn't necessarily agree, he wanted to make sure that everything was all right between the two.

Souji took a sip of tea before answering. "She's nice Kondou-san. What do _you_ think of her?" He asked the question casually, but Kondou's answer was extremely important to him. He may have decided Tsune was worthy as a potentional bride for Kondou, but if Kondou didn't like her, well there was no use in Souji continuing his relationship with her any further.

"What do I think of her?" Kondou asked in surprise. "Well, the match is a good one. Her family is well liked by the Shogunate and is wealthy which will be beneficial to the dojo. But more importantly, we get along well and I like her very much. I'm so glad to hear that you do as well Souji." Kondou answered, relieved that Hijikata's fears had not been true. "What did you two talk about?"

Pleased with Kondou's answer, Souji replied happily, "She said that after you get married you'd have babies and that you'd would need me to be their older brother."

Unfortunately for Kondou, he had been taking a sip of tea when Souji had answered and his shock over the boy's response caused him to choke on the beverage. Concerned over Kondou's coughing and spluttering, Souji quickly got up from his cushion and started to vigorously pat his mentor's back. "Are you ok Kondou-san?"

After a few more coughs, Kondou was able to regain control of himself, and after clearing his throat he answered, "Yes, just fine Souji. My tea just went down the wrong way." But now that Kondou wasn't actively choking, he had time to actually process what Souji jad said. _Why would Tsune talk to him about that?_ It's not that it wasn't true, quite the contrary. Kondou would love to see Souji take on the responsibility of being a role model for his children. Nevertheless, it seemed, to Kondou at least, that it was a little early to be talking about such things. They weren't even married yet! Deciding to try to steer the conversation in a different direction, Kondou asked, "Would you like that Souji? Being an older brother?"

Obviously relieved that Kondou's life was no longer in danger, Souji returned to his seat and positively beamed back at Kondou. "Of course I would Kondou-san."

"Well, when the time comes, I'm sure you'll do a great job." Kondou replied, reaching for his tea cup once more.

"But I want to help you now Kondou-san. Can't you and Tsune-san get a baby now?" Souji asked earnestly.

"N-now?" Kondou stammered.

"Yes, now. Everyone else is helping you get ready for the wedding and I want to help too."

Kondou carefully set his cup of tea back on the table. It would be safer for everyone this way. Trying for a reassuring tone, he answered, "Souji the only thing I need for you to do to help for the wedding is just to be there supporting me."

"But everyone else is doing something! Shuusuke-sensei is fixing up the dojo, Gen-san's making the food, even Hijikata-san is getting the sake for the ceremony." Souji pouted. "Tsune-san said that you'd need me for this so please let me help Kondou-san!"

Kondou was at a loss for words. Perhaps they had been remiss in not including Souji in the wedding planning, but truly, there wasn't much to be done with Tsune's family and the nakago handling most of the preparations. "Souji, I promise that you can help when the time comes."

Sighing dejectedly, Souji replied, "Ok, Kondou-san."

Beyond relieved by Souji's acceptance of the situation, Kondou felt that it was safe to start drinking his tea again.

However, it seemed that Souji had other plans. He had a puzzled look on his face when he asked, "Tsune-san never did say how you would get a baby. How does that work exactly Kondou-san?"

This time Kondou dropped his cup of tea in surprise, and while it was certainly an improvement from choking, it still made a mess that would need to be cleaned up. A mess very much like the situation he was currently in. _Surely Souji isn't asking what I think he's asking!_ Nervously he asked, "W-what do you mean?"

Looking determined, Souji pressed on, "Exactly what I said Kondou-san. Where do babies come from?"

_I'm not ready for this!_ Kondou thought desperately. On one hand, he definitely wanted Souji to learn about this aspect of life from a reputable source. Despite his earlier resolution to make sure Souji was introduced to the topic gently, he honestly hadn't had much time to think about how to _actually have_ the conversation. Which is how he found himself in this predicament; that he really had no idea what to tell the boy. In his eyes, Souji was still the small child that had been dropped off at Shieikan Dojo by his sister two years earlier. And while he was older than he had been at that time, Kondou was having a difficult time reconciling the two in his mind. "Well, Souji why don't you tell me what you know about it and I'll fill in the blanks." Kondou only hoped this distraction would give him enough time to think of an appropriate answer.

Souji pondered the question for a minute. "Well, Nobu-san said she left out a lot of offerings to Inari Okami."

_That's right, _Kondou thought, _Sato-san recently gave birth to a little girl._ And Inari Okami was the god of fertility so Souji's answer did make some sense. "Did Sato-san tell you that?"

"No, I heard her saying that to Hijikata-san." Souji answered.

Maybe this was something he could work with. "And what do you know about Inari Okami?" He asked in an attempt to stall for more time.

Taking a moment to search his memory, Souji replied, "Something about foxes." That was all he could remember since he hadn't really been paying attention during Gen-san's lessons.

Smiling indulgently at the boy, Kondou pieced together a somewhat desperate explanation. "That's right Souji. Inari uses foxes as messengers. When you pray to Inari, you leave an offering which the foxes deliver to the god."

"Like what Sato-san did?"

"That's right. Many couples pray to Inari to give them a child and if he finds them worthy, he will answer their prayers." Kondou explained.

However, Souji was still confused. "But that doesn't explain how you would get a baby Kondou-san."

It was times like this that Kondou wished Souji wasn't so curious. He had been hoping Souji would accept his vague answer but he should have known better at this point. "Well, remember the foxes? They don't only deliver messages and prayers back to Inari. It also works the other way around." Kondou answered, internally saying a little prayer of his own, asking for forgiveness and promising that he would give Souji a more _accurate_ explanation later once he had had more time to think about it.

"So the foxes would bring you a baby?"

Nodding weakly, "Yes." Kondou answered, worried by the speculative look forming on Souji's face.

"So if I left out an offering and prayed to Inari, he would bring you and Tsune a baby?" Souji asked hopefully.

"NO!" Kondou quickly replied. Noticing that Souji had been taken aback by his outburst, he continued in a more subdued tone. "I mean, that's not exactly right. The couple has to pray and leave the offerings together, only then can Inari decide whether to answer their prayers. And that can only happen after the couple is married."

"Oh." Souji replied dejectedly. "So there really isn't anything I can do help?"

Kondou put his hand on Souji's shoulder. "The most helpful thing you could do would be to give Tsune and I your blessing. You might not be my family by blood, but I do consider you to be a part of my family and knowing that I have your approval means more to me than a clean dojo or ceremonial sake ever could."

Souji smiled at Kondou's reassuring words, "If you'll be happy with Tsune-san, then of course you have my blessing Kondou-san." Left unsaid was the thought, _Now that I know she's worthy of you._

Beaming over the success of the conversation, Kondou embraced Souji in a quick, but affectionate, hug before replying, "That means the world to me Souji." Watching his young pupil attempt to suppress a yawn reminded Kondou of late it actually was. "You should get some sleep Souji. You need to be well rested so you can do your best during lessons tomorrow."

Nodding in agreement, Souji said good night and started walking back to his room. He had had a lot to think about today and despite his tiredness, the similarity of his two encounters was not lost upon him. Kondou and Tsune were well suited for one another and even though Kondou had said there was nothing that Souji could do to help besides give his blessing, he was determined to think of some other way to be useful. Gen-san was very knowledgable about these kind of things, perhaps he knew of something that Souji could do so Kondou could see just how much Souji supported him. Resolving to ask the older man about it in the morning, Souji was able to fall asleep peacefully, feeling better about the future for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Author's Notes:

1\. Kaichin are small, colorful glass discs that are a traditional toy of little girls in Japan. Kaichin wagashi are jellies and a traditional sweet for festivals in the spring. The candies are made in the shapes of plum blossoms, spring leaves, seagulls, flowers, and various other shapes. They come packaged in a little paper box, which if you shake it, rattles with a sound similar to children playing with kaichin. They are only made in the springtime and are something I thought Souji's sweet tooth would definitely appreciate!

2\. Family and tradition are extremely important tenets of Shintoism, which was one of the primary religions during the Edo period. Therefore, Tsune reaching out to Souji and asking him to be a part of the family would have probably (?) been a somewhat normal occurrence for the time even if it wasn't something that Souji himself would expect or consider normal.

3\. Inari Okami is the god of fertility (also of warriors, agriculture, prosperity, rice, sake, and other things) who uses foxes as messengers and also to answer prayers. I'm pretty much 100% sure that the foxes aren't really comparable to the Western idea of storks delivering babies but I thought it was a nice comparison for this story and gave Kondou a chance to awkwardly explain things again!


	5. Tea Ceremonies and Apron Strings

Disclaimer: I do not own Hakuouki. Not even a little bit.

**Tea Ceremonies and Apron Strings**

"Ah, Souji, there you are!" Came a friendly voice from much closer behind him than Souji had expected. He whipped around with a slightly sheepish look on his face, having recognized the voice.

"Good morning Gen-san." He replied politely while internally cringing. He had thought this seldom used corner of the dojo grounds would have been the perfect place to have some uninterrupted kendo practice, but apparently he had been wrong.

"Did you forget that we were supposed to have tea this morning?" Inoue asked with a mildly disappointed tone. "I had everything ready."

It wasn't often that Souji felt guilty about anything, but he was definitely feeling more than a twinge of it over trying to skip out of Inoue's aforementioned tea ceremony. The older man obviously took great delight in the tradition and had taken pains to include Souji ever since he had arrived, no matter how much the young boy complained about it. Souji had at first resented the older man as he was related to Mitsu's husband, but he had gradually realized that Inoue was a kind man, even if he was overly enthusiastic about tea ceremonies.

"Yes, I did." Souji eventually answered, deciding a white lie was better than disappointing the older man. "Sorry Gen-san."

Inoue brightened at Souji's apology, obviously accepting his excuse that he had forgotten about the tea ceremony. "Well, no harm done. Come along then so that we can get started."

Souji sullenly followed behind the older man, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get out of this situation. He could only hope that this wouldn't take up too much of his time, as there were some tea ceremonies that could last for hours. Leaving both his sandals and bokken outside, Souji knelt beside Inoue and began measuring out the tea while Inoue cleaned the tea bowls.

Inoue watched the boy out of the corner of his eye. Despite his surly attitude over having to participate in a tea ceremony, Inoue felt that Souji had seemed more carefree over the past few days. The changes were subtle of course, but Inoue had known the boy for a few years now and was able to discern at least some of his moods. There was a relaxed air around him that had not been present even the week before. "Ne, Souji, Isami-san told me that you and Tsune-san are getting along well. I was glad to hear it."

Souji momentarily paused in his preparations before handing the tea kettle to Inoue. "Yeah, she's nice." He replied neutrally. _Did Kondou-san tell everyone?_ Just because he had decided he liked Tsune didn't necessarily mean that he wanted the news spread around.

Inoue chuckled softly. "I agree! I think Isami-san has made a truly advantageous match and I'm very much looking forward to the wedding."

Souji's face fell at the mention of the wedding. It still hurt that he didn't have a part to play, as everyone else seemed to. "Yeah, I'm sure it's going to be nice." He replied quietly.

His sudden change in mood over the topic of the wedding did not go unnoticed by Inoue. "What's wrong Souji? Are you not excited for the wedding? It's going to be a beautiful ceremony."

"I wouldn't know." Souji said dejectedly, absently studying the tea leaves in his cup. "Kondou-san said he didn't need my help."

Inoue was quiet for a while, trying to think of the best way to handle this situation. He hadn't considered that Souji would want to help with the wedding preparations, assuming that the boy would have no interest in such things but perhaps he should have. Souji was always willing to help if Kondou was involved. "Well, there are a limited number roles in the ceremony itself certainly. However, I'm sure there are other things you could do that would help Isami-san."

"Really?" Souji asked hopefully, mentally chastising himself for not speaking to the older man earlier. He had known Inoue would have some ideas on how he could support Kondou but had been putting off asking him. And as much as he wanted to help his mentor, Souji _hated_ attending tea ceremonies, which unfortunately for him was the most opportune time to speak with the older man.

Inoue raised his hand to his chin, apparently thinking the matter over. "Well, you could always make them a good luck charm."

"Like what?" Souji asked curiously.

"Something made with naga-noshi is always a good way to express well wishes." Inoue answered before frowning as something had apparently just occurred to him. "Although I'm afraid they're very expensive so perhaps that wouldn't be the best idea."

Souji was starting to get worried. What if Inoue couldn't think of anything?

"Ah! I have just the thing!" Inoue announced proudly. "You could make orizuru."

"Paper cranes?" Souji questioned.

Inoue nodded eagerly. "Yes! I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier. I saw some at a wedding many years ago, they were very beautiful. There were so many of them it was obvious that whoever made them wished the couple well."

Souji was somewhat skeptical about this idea. He had no idea how to make a paper crane, let alone a large number of them. "How many would I have to make?"

Inoue had the grace to look a little sheepish. "I believe the usual number is one thousand cranes. You put them on pieces of string and hang them up in the shrine to ensure good fortune to the new couple."

_One thousand paper cranes._ Souji thought dazedly. That was a lot of cranes and Kondou was getting married in just a few short months at the beginning of autumn. That wasn't a lot of time to complete the project, especially since he had no idea how to begin. "Do you know how to make paper cranes Gen-san?"

"I'm afraid not Souji." Inoue said sadly. "But if you know someone who has training in origami, a crane is often one of the first forms that is taught to practitioners. So perhaps they would be able to teach you how to get started."

Oh, Souji knew someone who was skilled in origami. The problem was that they were the _last_ person he wanted to ask for help. The thought of enduring a formal tea ceremony with Hijikata present actually sounded more appealing. However, it seemed as though he might have to swallow his pride and request their assistance as this was definitely something he wouldn't be able to learn on his own. "I might know someone who could teach me, but they don't really live near by." He replied quietly.

Inoue deflated at the news. "That's too bad."

Souji suddenly found his hands extremely interesting. "Maybe I could write to them and ask if they would be willing to come here?"

Inoue frowned. "That sounds like it could be a bit of a hardship for that person to come here just for that. Are you sure they would be willing?" He was starting to worry that he had gotten the boy's hopes up for no reason.

_They had better be._ Souji thought darkly. "I think they would. Do you have any paper Gen-san? I should write to them today since I'll need to start soon if I want to make all one thousand cranes."

Smiling to himself, "I'm sure I have some paper around here somewhere." Inoue replied as he rummaged through his desk. "Ah, here's some. And some ink as well."

Souji wasted no time writing a short note before folding the paper and writing a name on the front. Inoue was too far away to see what the boy had written and he had to admit he was curious. Souji didn't leave the dojo that often except on local errands. Who could he possibly know that would help him learn how to make paper cranes? Before he could ask, his train of thought was interrupted by another question.

"What's that noise?" Souji asked.

Something was apparently going on in the courtyard. While it wasn't unusual for the dojo grounds to be noisy, the noises emanating from outside were different than the usual ones. Shrill, high-pitched, and very distracting. Grateful for the interruption, Souji went outside to investigate. There was a small group of people in the courtyard surrounding whatever was making that awful shrieking noise. _Maybe someone's hurt,_ Souji thought, as that would be the only explanation he could think of for someone to make such a racket.

"Ah, Toshi-san has come for a visit, and it looks like he's brought Nobu-san with him." Inoue observed, having also come outside to investigate the disturbance. "We should welcome them in."

Nodding distractedly, Souji replied, "Ne, Gen-san? Will you give this letter to Kondou-san? You'll probably see him before I do since he's been out giving lessons all day. He usually sends the mail out tomorrow, right?"

"Of course, it would be no problem." Inoue glanced at the small note, smiling to himself over the identity of the recipient. Storing the note carefully in the sleeve of his kimono, Inoue put his hand on Souji's shoulder and led the boy out to the courtyard to greet their guests. "I'll make sure Isami-san sends it tomorrow with the rest of his letters."

As the two neared their guests, the source of the wailing became obvious. Souji had forgotten that Nobu had recently had a baby, a girl if his memory served. Usually it was he and Kondou who visited the Sato household, so he had no idea what exactly had prompted her visit to Shieikan. Not that he was displeased by her visit as Nobu was not only a reliable source of sweets, but was also an excellent foil for Souji to use in his entirely worthy pastime of irritating Hijikata. The fact that he was able to use Hijikata's own sister against him was a source of endless amusement to the boy.

Souji smirked to himself before pasting a more sincere smile on his face as he bowed and greeted the unexpected visitors. "Good morning Nobu-san! What brings you here today? It's been awhile since I've seen you."

Nobu turned and returned the welcome with a smile of her own, cradling a now quiet baby in her arms. "I'm doing well Souji-kun, thank you for asking. I'm always so impressed by your good manners. So many of our young people have forgotten how _important_ they are." Her smile had hardened as she glared pointedly in her younger brother's direction.

Hijikata rolled his eyes, ignoring his sister's none too subtle criticism. Honestly, she fell for Souji's act everytime! "We're here because onee-san needed to speak with Shuusuke-sensei about something. Nothing you need to concern yourself over Souji."

"Toshizou! What did I just say about manners? I just can't understand why you're always picking on poor Souji-kun." Shaking her head over the perceived slight, Nobu continued, "But to answer your question, Shuusuke-sensei agreed to hold an item that I had ordered as a gift for my dear husband which is why I made the journey here. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise if I had allowed him to come here to get it like a _certain someone_ suggested."

"All I said was that someone else could have completed this errand so you didn't have to travel all over the countryside with a baby! I didn't think it was that outlandish of a suggestion." Hijikata griped.

"Why don't I go inform Shuusuke-sensei of your arrival." Inoue gently interrupted, obviously hoping to put an end to the sibling's quickly escalating argument. "I'm sure he has the item you needed ready."

"Thank you Inoue-san. That would be very helpful." Nobu replied to Inoue's retreating form.

"Nobu-san, what did you name your baby?"

"Oh, I had forgotten you haven't been by since she was born Souji-kun. We named her Hinata. Would you like to hold her?"

Souji nodded somewhat hesitantly. He had never held a baby before. Nobu seemed to pick up on his sudden uneasiness, "Why don't you sit down on the veranda, it will be easier to hold her that way." She carefully placed the baby in Souji's arms after he had sat down and also imparted some helpful advice to the nervous boy, "Make sure to support her head, she can't do it on her own yet."

Souji nodded and took a moment to study the small baby. She had dark hair and brown eyes, so unlike the vibrant violet color Hijikata and Nobu possessed. She was also bigger than he had expected a baby to be.

Noticing Souji's puzzled expression, Nobu asked curiously, "What's wrong Souji-kun?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Souji replied, "Nothing really. I just find it hard to believe that a fox could carry a baby this size. She seems like she would be too heavy."

Nobu and Hijikata both looked at Souji in askance over his answer. "Foxes Souji-kun?" Nobu finally asked. "And why exactly would a fox be carrying a baby?"

"Well, you told Hijikata-san that you had prayed and left offerings to Inari Okami. And when I asked Kondou-san where babies come from, he said that Inari's foxes were the ones that brought you the baby."

Nobu looked down at her sleeping daughter and then once again leveled her gaze at her brother. "This is obviously a discussion that needs to occur between two men. Toshizou, please correct Souji-kun's misunderstanding."

Surprised by the directive, Hijikata spluttered, "W-what?! Onee-san, why me?"

Nobu raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you don't know the pertinent details either? Because I know that Hikogorou had this discussion with you many years ago. Surely you haven't forgotten?"

Hijkata glared at Souji, who was quietly snickering (conveniently out of his sister's sight) over the scolding Nobu was giving him. "_No._ I haven't forgotten." Hijikata hissed. "But Souji and I have already had this conversation so there is no need to have it again."

"Well _obviously_ you left out a few details so this time make sure he understands. And I will be checking back later to make sure you have." With that said, Nobu collected her small daughter from Souji and left the two males alone on the veranda.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while Hijikata attempted to collect his thoughts before Souji started to get bored. Picking up his bokken, he stood up and started to walk away. "Well, as interesting as this conversation has been Hijikata-san, I've got some practicing to do."

Before he could get far though, Hijikata pulled him back onto the veranda by the collar of his gi. "Not so fast. Onee-san will never let me hear the end of it if she finds out we didn't talk about this. So stop squirming and sit down so we can get this over with!"

But Souji wasn't at all interested in having a similar conversation as before with Hijikata. "That sounds like your problem, not mine."

"Idiot. It will be a problem for _both_ of us if onee-san finds out!"

"That's not a very convincing argument." Souji replied, clearly unimpressed. Nobu didn't seem especially threatening to him, and he knew something about intimidating older siblings. "Nobu-san likes me. It's _you_ she'd be mad at."

Gritting his teeth, Hijikata had to admit that Souji had a point. Nobu really would only make _his_ life miserable if she found out that he hadn't completed this unwanted task. Souji played the adorable little brother role to perfection around her, often earning himself both praise and sweets. She had no idea how devious the little brat could be and wouldn't hear a word said against 'that sweet boy' whenever Hijikata attempted to correct her error in judgment.

Reaching for his belt, he removed a small bag. Hesitating for a moment, he sighed deeply before throwing the bag in Souji's direction. "Just sit down and listen, it'll go faster that way."

Souji caught the bag easily and smiling over its contents, he walked back to the veranda and sat back down next to Hijikata. Pulling one of the brightly colored sweets out of the bag, Souji generously decided to listen to whatever Hijikata had to say, at least until he ran out of candy and then all bets were off.

Watching Souji munch happily on _his_ konpeito made this task even more undesirable, but he had wasted enough time already. Clearing his throat, "So, about the foxes…"

"Inari's foxes, not just regular ones Hijikata-san." Souji interrupted. "A regular fox would probably eat a baby, don't you think?"

Silently praying for divine intervention and ignoring the boy's last rather blood thirty remark, Hijikata took a deep breath, "Right, Inari's foxes, not regular ones." He repeated, wondering how on earth he was going to fix this. Souji believed anything Kondou told him, which made this normally straightforward, albeit awkward, conversation much more difficult. Why did he always get stuck with these unpleasant chores anyway?! "You see, the thing is Souji… Kondou-san was telling you a story."

Souji's expression immediately darkened. "I'm pretty sure I've told you before that Kondou-san wouldn't lie."

Hijikata rolled his eyes. "Calm down Souji. I didn't mean he was lying to you, just that he was telling a story. A tale, like one out of a book." He quickly explained, having noticed Souji's fingers beginning to tighten around the handle of his bokken. Once Souji began to relax, Hijikata continued, "Inari's foxes are a popular part of a story and that's probably what Kondou-san thought you meant when you asked him about babies."

"Oh." That explanation made more sense to Souji than Kondou lying to him. After all, Kondou _misunderstanding_ something was an extremely plausible scenario. "So what is it that Nobu-san wanted you to tell me?" Souji had to fight back a grin while asking the question. After all, it had to be something interesting if Hijikata looked _that_ uncomfortable!

Once again clearing his throat, Hijikata steeled himself for what would undoubtedly be a painful conversation. "Well, I'm sure you remember our last conversation, about the katana and the saya?"

Souji scowled over the memory. It hadn't been his finest moment for sure. "What about it?" He asked irritably.

"That's how it happens." Hijikata answered uncomfortably, looking everywhere except Souji. "Like I said before, you're the katana and she's the saya. Once the katana has been sheathed, a woman can become pregnant and then around nine moons later she'll have a baby."

Raising an eyebrow and looking skeptically at Hijikata, Souji replied, "That makes even less sense than the foxes Hijikata-san."

"Look, it's not that difficult of a concept." Hijikata impatiently explained. Spying some flowers in the distance, he seized on that inspiration, knowing that gardening was one of Souji's many chores around the dojo. "It's like when you're planting flowers. You start with a seed, right? And if you don't water the seed, a flower won't grow-"

"Flowers again?" Souji interrupted. "Is this why there are so many flowers in those hanamachi you like so much?"

_Flowers?_ Confused by the sidetrack this conversation was taking, Hijikata attempted to clarify, "What are you talking about?"

Souji rolled his eyes and disdainfully answered, "Kondou-san said hanamachi are called that because they are decorated with flowers." Considering that Hijikata spent so much time there, Souji thought that he clearly should have known all about the decorations.

_Really Kondou-san?_ Just what had he been telling the boy? Hijikata deserved a substantial reward for clearing up all of the half-truths and creative wording Kondou had used to 'explain things' to Souji. "Stop interrupting and listen! The flowers are symbols. Oiran are called the flowers of the hanamachi for a reason. _They_ are the decorations. That's what Kondou-san meant."

"Then why didn't he just say that?"

Sighing in exasperation, Hijikata continued, "I don't know Souji. Now just keep eating my konpeito and let me finish. Like I was saying, women are like the seeds, they won't ever be able to make a flower unless they are watered. Men supply the water so when they come together that seed eventually becomes a flower."

Souji frowned, "That sounds like a lot of work." And if it was anything like the gardening he was forced to do, it didn't sound like much fun either.

"It's very pleasurable work, however it does take some practice to be skilled in the act." Hijikata replied, chuckling to himself despite how taxing this unexpected conversation had been.

Souji crossed his arms over his chest. "It certainly doesn't sound that great so far. First a girl makes you nervous and uncomfortable and then you have all that work to do. What's so fun about all of that?"

It took a lot of effort, but Hijikata controlled the urge to rip out his hair in frustration. "Souji, men and women are far too selfish to repeatedly participate in a something unpleasant simply to produce children. They're not all that rewarding." He paused, looking pointedly in Souji's direction. "After all, it wouldn't be called the pleasure quarter if the act was distasteful."

_Oh._ Things were starting to make a lot more sense, although there was still one small detail to this story that was bothering Souji. "So if that's how it works, why don't _you_ have lots of babies?"

Hijikata almost fell over. How had Souji managed to turn the focus of this conversation on him?! "There are ways around that." Hijikata began, quickly holding up a hand to forestall Souji's next question. "But _don't _ask me about it! I've told you what onee-san asked me to so this conversation is over and we will never speak of it again."

Hijikata watched in alarm as Souji's signature smirk began to form across his face. "Ok Hijikata-san, I promise. I'll never speak about this conversation again, especially if Nobu-san asks about it." And before he could object, Souji had grabbed his bokken and ran from the veranda back towards the dojo.

Placing his head into his hands in defeat, Hijikata wondered what he could have possibly done in a previous life to deserve Souji.

* * *

Author's Notes:

1\. Inoue Genzaburou was distantly related to Mitsu's husband, Inoue Rintarou, which was probably how Souji wound up at Shieikan after their marriage. Souji and Gen-san seem to have a good relationship throughout the series and I had wanted to look a bit more into that. Plus Gen-san is a totally underrated character who rarely gets any love. Honestly, he's probably the only reason those boys have any manners at all!

2\. Naga-noshi are abalone shells that are often incorporated into jewelry and were widely used in Japan to express well wishes, especially in weddings. The shells were rare and would have been prohibitively expensive in the Edo era.

3\. Sato Hikogorou is Nobu's husband. He was one of the Shinsengumi's most generous supporters and also worked tirelessly to tidy up their image after the war was over. Hijikata lived with them for several years while growing up.

4\. Two more chapters to go!


End file.
